Priscilla "CeCe" Marie Winans Loveˈwaɪnænz (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer, who has won numerous awards, including ten Grammy Awards and seven Stellar Awards. She has sold 12 million records world wide. Cece is also the best selling female gospel artist of all time.

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Personal Information
Born Priscilla Winans on October 8, 1964, in Detroit, MI; married Alvin Love, II on June 23, 1984; children: Alvin III, Ashley.
Career
PTL, singer, 1982-84; beauty shop owner and beautician, 1984-86; Sparrow Records, recording artist, 1987-98; Pioneer Records, recording artist, 1998-99; Wellspring Gospel, founder, recording artist, 1999-.
Life`s Work
CeCe Winans burst forth from her large, talented musical family, like a shooting star out of a twinkling sky being marveled at by stargazers on a mission to laud their maker. Insisting that, all her life, she has sought only to be a "server of Christ" and "server of people," Winans has shimmered brightly in the Gospel and Christian Contemporary markets while also warming audiences both secular and religious. Winans` stardom is a byproduct of what she has done instinctively since she was a tot--sing praises to God. And with 5 Grammys, eighteen Dove awards, and numerous gold and platinum albums, Winans credits her musical success entirely to God`s handiwork in her life. Describing Gospel music to Jet Magazine as "God`s words set to music." Winans explained, "...it is all about love; it is all about peace; it`s all about joy; it`s all about happiness. It`s all about answers."
Sang Praises with the Family
CeCe Winans, originally named Priscilla, was born on October 8, 1964, by David and Dolores Winans who had long awaited a daughter after seven boys --David, Ronald, Marvin, Carvin, Daniel, Michael, and Benjamin (BeBe). A few years later, Winans was joined by two more female Winans, sisters Angelique and Debbie. According to Winans` 1999 memoirs, On a Positive Note, no one remembers for certain how Priscilla Winans came to be called CeCe, but the nickname is most likely traced to Winans` beloved paternal grandmother, Laura Howze, who called her "Sister" since her birth. Referring to Grandmother Howze her childhood "best friend," Winans recalled her grandmother`s good advice in her memoir: "God`s got His hands on you, CeCe. Just keep your hands in His hands, and you`ll be all right."
Winans` parents were truly dedicated to God and family. The ten children were fed and housed with the income David Winans earned as a barber and taxi driver combined with what Dolores earned in her employment at Metropolitan Hospital. Always musical and involved in the church, Winans` parents had met in 1950 as members of Detroit`s Lemon Gospel Chorus. Their love for music and God became central to their lifestyle and to their parenting.
A quiet, shy girl, Winans began singing God`s words publicly as a small child of seven, when she performed "Fill My Cup" for her congregation. But this boldness should not have surprised worshippers acquainted with the Winans family, for whom singing was as natural as walking, even breathing. Winans grew up singing daily among her family of 12 in their three-bedroom Westside Detroit house on Woodingham Street. "Our house was always filled with music," Winans wrote. "It was nothing for Mom to strike up a song while standing in the kitchen cooking dinner, or for Dad to line a song as he stood in the mirror on Sunday morning, shaving and reading to himself for Sunday school. Singing was the way we communicated, the way we entertained ourselves, and the way we made sense of the world."
Celebrating Christmas as they celebrated life, the family of 12 performed an annual Christmas concert for their community in lieu of exchanging gifts. "Our parents were always striving to bring home to us the real meaning of Christmas," Winans told the Family website. Her parents advertised the show, and the major surprise for the family then each holiday season would be how large their audience would be at Mercy Hall.
Rose to Fame With BeBe
At age 17, Winans joined BeBe as a singer on the television program Praise the Lord (PTL). The duo recorded their platinum-certified album Lord Lift Us Up which they performed on PTL, allowing them to break into the national Christian market. The rest of the family continued on in the fields of music and religion as well. Winans four oldest brothers--David, Ronald, Marvin and Carvin-- would become the award-winning Gospel quartet The Winans. Her brother Daniel would perform and record as a solo artist as well. And from a small group of believers, Marvin would also found the 3,000-member Perfecting Church in Detroit and lead it as pastor.
In June of 1984, at age 19, Winans married Alvin Love, 16 years her senior. A friend of Ronald Winans, Love had met his future wife when he joined the family for an evening of bowling. Later, Love traveled with Ronald to North Carolina for a visit to BeBe and CeCe, where they were working for PTL. About a year later Love and Winans were married, and Winans moved back to Detroit, leaving BeBe behind.

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